General Travel Information
Restricted & Protected Areas
Certain parts of the country need special permits before they can be
visited.
Foreign Tourists can visit Nagaland
In order to promote tourism in the North-east region, the Government of
India has decided to allow foreign tourists to visit Nagaland. Until
recently the entire state of Nagaland was a restricted area. However the
Government of India has decided to allow foreign tourists to visit the
destricts of Dimapur, Kohima, Mokokchong and Wokha for a maximum period of
10 days and in a group of 4 or more. this restriction of group is not
valid for married couples.
These permits are issued by the Under Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs,
Foreigners Division, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market, New Delhi 110 003
Directorate of Tourism, Nagaland, Kohima
Phone- +91 (370) 21607/ 22214/ 21945
Secretary, Tourism, Nagaland, Kohima
Tele-Fax- +91 (370) 33067 .
Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. These
States/Union Territories have been designated as protected areas and
foreigners cannot enter these areas without special permits. These permits
are issued by the Under Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners
Division, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market, New Delhi 110 003 at least 4
weeks before the date of the expected visit.
Certain areas of Sikkim like Gangtok, Rumtek, Phodang and
Zongri in West Sikkim and Pamayangtse have been excluded form the
inner line and declared as restricted areas. Individual tourists are
permitted to visit Gangtok, Rumtek and Phodang. Tourists are permitted to
visit Zongri and Pamayangtse. The duration of stay has been raised from 7
to 15 days. Permits can be issued by all Indian Missions abroad, all FRROs,
Immigration Officers at Airports at Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai and New
Delhi. Manipur. Manipur has also been opened to foreign tourists; permits
can be issued by all Missions abroad, all FRROs, Home Commissioner,
Manipur, Imphal. The duration of stay has been raised from 3 to 5 days.
Permits are no longer required for Darjeeling, Assam, Meghalaya,
Tripura.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Individual
foreign tourists can visit Port Blair Municipal Area, Havelock Island,
Long Island, Neil Island, Mayabunder, Diglipur, Rangat, where a night halt
is allowed and Jolly Buoy, South Cinque, Red Skin, Mount Harriet, Madhuban
where only day visits are allowed. Prior permit is necessary.
Lakshadweep Islands. Only Bangaram and Subeli Islands are
open to foreign tourists. Permits are required, obtainable from the
Lakshadweep Administration, Wellington Island, Harbour Road, Kochi -3.
Manipur Loktak Lake, Imphal, Moirang, Keibul Deer Sanctuary and Waithe
Lake.
Health Regulation
Yellow fever: Any person (including
infants) arriving by air or sea without a certificate is detained in
insulation for a period up to 6 days if arriving within 6 days of
departing from an infected area.
Malaria risk exists throughout the year in the whole
country excluding parts of the States of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir
and Sikkim. No certificate required, but a course of anti-malaria pills is
recommended.
Drinking water: Bottled water is available and usually
provided in flasks in hotel rooms. For people with delicate digestive
systems. It is advisable to use bottled mineral water, this is widely
available.
Facilities: It is advisable to bring specific medicines.
There are state operated facilities in all towns and cities and private
consultants and specialists in urban areas
Opening hours
These may vary from region to region. All international Hotels have a
24 hours money changing facility.
Banks:
10.00 to 14.00 (Mo. to Fr.), and 10.00 to 12.00 (Sat.).
Post Offices:
10.00 to 17.00 (Mo. to Fr.) and Sat. mornings, In big cities often longer.
Click Here for Official Website of
Post India
Electricity
Voltage in most places is 220 volts AC, 50 cycles, although some areas also have DC supplies.
Photography
- Special permission of the Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi, is required for use of tripod and artificial light.
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Photography in the wildlife sanctuaries is allowed on payment of a prescribed fee. Photography is prohibited in tribal areas.
Communications
Fax/Telex/Telegram: International
24-hours service from large hotels and telegraph offices in major cities.
Telephone: Telephone calls to most countries are now
direct. There are telephone facilities between the most cities and towns.
The international direct dialing code for India is +91.
Currency Regulations
Foreign Currency. There are no restrictions on the
amount of foreign currency or travelers’ cheques a tourist may import,
provided a Declaration Form is completed on arrival, This will facilitate
the exchange of imported currency as well as the export of unspent
currency on departure. Cash more than US $ 5000 or bank notes and
travelers’ cheques more than US $ 10000 or equivalent need not be declared
at the time of entry. Any money in the form of travellers’ cheques,
drafts, bills, cheques, etc. which tourists wish to convert into Indian
currency should be exchanged only through authorised money changers.
Tourists are warned that changing money through unauthorised persons is
not only illegal but also involves the risk of receiving counterfeit
currency. To exchange foreign money other than through banks or authorised
money changers is an offence. Please note that no Indian currency whatso-ever
can be imported or exported, except for Rupee travellers’ cheques. Banks
abroad do keep Rupee balances with their agents in India and are able to
draw upon these balances to issue Rupee travellers’ cheques to intending
tourists.
There are 24 hour exchange facilities available at all big cites and
international airports
Custom Regulations
All personal objects which are required in India are
free from duty. Under this heading fall personal jewelry, presents up to a
value of Rs. 8000, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 250g tobacco and 2 l
alcoholic beverages. Professional material and articles which have a high
value can only be imported duty free if the traveler gives a written
undertaking that these articles will be re-exported.
For more information:
www.cbec.gov.in
Airport Tax
Passengers embarking on journey to any place outside India will have to pay an airport tax of Rs. 300. For journey to Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maledives = Rs. 150.
Public Holidays
There are many festivals and special events in India, but only a few of these are full public holidays. These are: 26 Jan Republic Day, 15 Aug. Independence Day, 2 Oct. Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday. For dates of other holidays and festival please contact Tourist Offices in India.